Telephone handset bracket



Julie 15, 1948. s. SEARS 2,443,329

TELEPHONE HANDSET BRACKET Filed 'Nov. 13, 1946 INVENT OR Sferligg Sears BY M. MM

HTTORNEY Patented June 15, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEPHONE HANDSET BRACKET Sterling G. Sears, Garden City, N. Y. Application November 1a, 1946, Serial No. 709,567

5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to brackets for telephone handsets, e. g., devices for supporting and holding a handset at a desired place and in a predete mined position, when not in use.

An extremely common form of telephone handset comprises an elongated handle carrying at one end a telephone instrument, e. g., a receiver or transmitter, and usually having a complementary instrument at the opposite end. The transmitter and receiver, at their respective ends of the handset, are customarily enclosed in more or less bulbous housings, having a cap provided with a central opening or group of openings for passage of sound into or out of the housing. Sometimes in the case of the transmitter but almost always in the case of the receiver, the cap has a dominating margin or peripheral region that lies in a plane. At least in most cases the caps or preferably the housings are turned somewhat toward each other so that the working faces of the instruments, 1. e., receiver and transmitter, will be in proper position to be held relatively close to the ear and mouth when the handset is in use.

While the cradle type Of handset support commonly found in homes and offices is doubtless suiflcient for the ordinary conditions of such use, many telephone installations require a more secure, more compact means for holding a handset when it is not in operation. A few of many examples of such installations are radiotelephone equipment on small boats, railroad locomotives, police cars, aircraft, emergency vehicles, and the like, as well as internal or other wire telephone communication systems in ships, industrial plants, aircraft, and military units; and there are numerous other instances of such requirements. In all cases the telephone handset must be easily and rapidly removable for use, yet at the same time it should be firmly retained, against a wall or panel or other support, when it is not in the hand of the operator. Its retention under such circumstances should be proof against dislodgement by motion of the ship, vehicle or the like in which the equipment is carried, or by the effect of accidental blows from objects or persons required to be in the vicinity of the equipment.

Important objectsof the invention are therefore to provide a handset hanger or bracket of improved and simplified construction, suitable for use under conditions such as described above, whereby the handset is securely locked or clamped and yet is easily removed by the operator. Another object is to provide a rugged and durable handset bracket, embodying few parts and yet adapted for use in a wide variety of circumstances and capable of being mounted so as to suspend the handset in any of a variety of positions, e. g., vertically as against a wall or panel, or at an angle, as up and out of the way beneath a shelf or the like. Further objects are to provide an improved device holding the handset by one end alone, with a positively locked yet readily separable grip; to provide a bracket structure readily adjustable in holding tension and likewise readily adjustable to fit various shapes and sizes of handsets; and to provide a novel combination of a handset clamp and cooperating electrical switching means.

To these and other objects, including such as are hereinafter apparent or are incidental to the practice of the invention, certain presently preferred embodiments of the improved handset bracket are shown in the drawings and described hereinbelow by way of example, as illustrating the nature and principles of the invention.

vation, as seen from the right of Fig. 1, looking perpendicularly toward the face plate of the bracket;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the arms of the bracket;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, of another embodiment of the improved bracket, showing the upper portion of a handset mounted therein;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the device of Fig. 5, taken in an oblique direction like the view of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is an elevation on a reduced scale showing the device of Fig. I mounted on a wall with a handset carried therein; and I Fig. 8 is a side view of a switching device such as may be embodied in the bracket.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the illustrated bracket includes a seat comprising a plate In disposed in a generally vertical position, although conveniently at somewhat of an angle to the vertical, as shown, where the bracket is to be mounted against a wall with a handset of the most usual type carried in vertical position. The lower end of the plate II] is bent outwardly ends of the arms.

., housing is moved downythe arms-"are forced outand slightly upward to form a shelf l, to which is secured, by riveting, welding or other effectively firm attachment, the central flat portion I2 of a gripping member provided with spaced arms l3, M. The member comprising the portion l2 and arms 83, M is conveniently cut or otherwise fashioned from heavy stock of stiffiy resilient sheet metale. g., both the member last described-"and the plate-Iii with'its extension 5 i may be made of steel or stiff brass in? thickness'ai s to /8 inchand the arms i3, 14 are so shaped and bent as to curve both outwardly and upwardly, from the lower end of the plate ill. The inner face of the end of each arm is -provided with a gripping portion is Whic m WG mP ton-like member having a curved surface as shown (see also Fig. 4) and pr f rably mad f hard fibre or other non-abrasive butlrelatively hard material. The shape of the arms iiijlil in .cooperation with the" face plate it is such that L the bulbous "housing"Oran-instrument, e. g;, the

receiver, at the .end of. the handset-handle may be embracedby these'parts.

As will be'seen fromFigsyl and 7', the illustrated'. example "of a'handset comprises a'ha'ndle portion lfiterminating :atone end in a 'portion of ,1 the hemispherical surface 11 of the receiver housing, "which is closed "by theusual cap lfifl' 'The other "endio'f theha'n'dle' I'Gterminates" in-the-housture for the instruments of the-handset'mayvary somewhat in size orconfiguratiomand it ismanifestly immaterial to the operation ofthe bracket whether the lowerendbfthe handle it carries any particular J form of "instrument or housing.

"Whereas *the housing lThas'beerr described as hemispherical," it will be understood that such term is usedin a; generic" rather than" a' strict geometric sense, i. e.,'-to'includeothercurved surfaces, whether ovoid;paraboloid"or thelike, having a generally'balFshaped' curve. "Ordinarily the cap'JIBzincludes a marginarregior'i"22-'1yingina plane with which'the" face I ilofthebracket may abut, although itwill'be'"appreciated"-that' 'the bracket device may be readily adapted for cooperation with'instruments havingother shapes of faces or caps than the simple and regular'arrangement here shown.

i Referring particularly "tofli ig. 1'; thearms l3,

[4 have anormal'position'such that as-the handset is inserted by sliding the cap of there'ceiver housing down along the" plate lElthe"-'gripping elements l5 of. the 'armsengagethe curved surface .of "the housing 'conveniently'at 'or "before the latter reaches a'positionindicatedby'the dotand-dash lines "2d. "In .suchpositionthe 'high Hregion'or regions of"'the"hemispherical surface relative to the plate 'l I] are disposed above the Consequently as the receiver wardly by its curved surface, passing'over the high points of curvature" and then movingback toward theplate as'the receiverihousing-comes to With' the hahdset'in'its final 'position"of"rest,

in a substantially normal direction. so that the receiver is firmly clamped between the arms and the cooperating plate Ill. The handset can be :removed simply by forcibly sliding it in an upward direction, along the plate ill, but in so doing the -a rms must again be camrned outwardly,

so to speak-against their strong spring pressure, in order to release the high or peak regions of '-;rthe=.'curved surface.

These relationships are further represented by tral plane through the receiver housing and perp-ei'idicular :to'the drawing when the housing is ih 'the' dot-fand dash line position z iyand a'correspo'n'ding dotted'line 26 representing the-same plane when thereceiver is in its fully seated, fullline po'sition Since these lines'corresp'ond to the high =regions-or spots of the receiver housing,

relative to the seat'lt, it will be clearly appar- 'en't' -tha't-the'ends of the arms it, "i i, and'specificallytheirgripping.elements it, must pass over orde'r to seat the receiver.

and'come -to rest beyond the high-regions, in

In addition'the lateral spacingof the arms, whereby their ends rest on surface 1regions=that are lower also than the i curved area between them, contributes to the --pos'itive"-lock against horizontal :as well as ver- -tical displacement of thehandset.

:To m'ount thebracket, as on a wall or panel,

-a box' like supporting structure '28 may be providedg secured-to the rear side of the plate in -and' having a rear face comprising mounting tabs tll (of which one is shown'inFig. 2, it be- "ing understood that asimilar tab is provided on the other side of the box 23), which can be disposed at an appropriate angle to the face plate I 0. For example, a handset of the type shown in 't'he drawings' commonly has the face of its receiver dispose'd obliquely 'to the handle .16; so that if it is desiredto suspend the handset with the handle in a vertical position, and thus as close to the 'wall for-panel as possible, the secured position of the receiver housing should be one in which the face-of the latter makes a corresponding oblique wangle with the wall, as shown in Fig. 7.

Asupplemental feature of the improved bracket -construction, which the latter is peculiarly adapt- 'ed to include, comprises a switch generally indi- 'cated by its housing 32, that may be mounted for instancebntheunderside of the plate iii and withinthe-box 28. This switch may be of the push buttontyp having an Operating member *Orbutton M projecting through an opening in *the plate It, at such'position that when the receiver is moved 'down into secured relation, the member 's l .is cammed, i. ,e., moved inwardly by the'face of the receiver, for example'by the marginal portion 22 of its cap. It will be appreciated 'thatany'of a considerable variety of switching devices, having one or more poles andincluding'contacts to be opened or closed by inward in the described combination.

displacement of the member 3%, may be employed Simply for purposes of illustration, Fig. 8 shows a switch'having a fixed-contact 35 facing rearwardly from thepanel, and acooperatingzcontact 36 mounted with the contact 35.. The operating member 34 is disposed so that its inner end engages the spring 31 and separates the contacts when the member is moved inwardly by the handset receiver. On removing the receiver, the spring 31 pushes the member 34 outwardly and at the same time engages the contacts 36, 35 so that a circuit may be closed, for instance, in the line connecting the handset to the communication equipment with which it is used.

The modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 includes a corresponding seat having a fiat plate portion 40 and also a projectingfulcrum portion or car 4| at the upper end of the plate portion 40. This fulcrum or bearing portion 4| extends upwardly from the plate and may have a further portion 42 flanged upwardly, to facilitate insertion of the receiver housing beneath the projection 4|, in the manner more fully explained below.

The lower end of the seat also has a projection 43 to which is secured the transverse portion 44 of a member fashioned to provide a pair of spring arms 45, 46 which curve outwardly and upwardly in a manner generally similar to the arms |3, |4

of Figs. 1 and 2. The ends of the arms 45, 46 may on their inner sides have ball-shaped friction or gripping elements (not shown) identical with the members |5 of Figs. 2 and 4, for the same purpose. I

In the arrangement of Figs. 5 and 6 the handset is inserted by placing the upper edge of the receiver cap beneath the projection 4| of the seat, or approximately at the intersection of such projecting portion and the face portion 40, and

rocking the handset downwardly about the seated edge of the cap until the receiver fac'e abuts the plate 40. Although for many purposes a simple metallic member will suiiice for the seat, it is preferred to surface the portions 4|], 4| and 42 with a somewhat resilient material to avoid even minor shocks on the plastic receiver housing and cap, such as might chip or otherwise damage the handset, when the device is inserted in the I manner described. Accordingly a thin sheet 41 of rubber or the like is provided as a facing along the outer surface of the member 40, 4|, 42.

The arrangement of Fig. 5 embodies the same positive locking feature as is characteristic of I the device shown in Fig. 1. set is first brought to the bracket for insertion,

the receiver housing 48 may occupy, for instance,

the position shown in dot-and-dash lines 49, where the ends of the arms have begun to engage the curved surface of the housing. As the handset is then rocked downwardly, i. e., by pulling the handle 50 down around the projecting-portion 4| as a fulcrum-the upper edge 5| of the receiver cap having been inserted thereunderthe arms 45 are cammed and sprung outwardly by the curved surface of the housing. The high regions of the housing surface relative to the seat, specifically the projecting portion 4| of the seat, pass under the ends of the arms, and as the receiver reaches the full-line position with its face abutting the plate 4|], theends of the arms have moved beyond the high regions, and come to rest against somewhat lower localities of the curved surface relative to the ear 4| or its intersection with the plate 40. In the device shown, although not necessarily in all embodiments, the upper edge of the receiver cap has somewhat of a rolling motion of its surface relative to the seat portions 4| and 40 during insertion'and'removal, which facilitates those operations.

Thus when the hand- The dot-and-dash line 52 represents a medial plane of the receiver housing in its dot-and-dash line position 49, and the dotted line 53 represents such a'plane in its full-line position, in similar fashion to corresponding lines in Fig. 1. From these lines, which indicate the high localities of the receiver housing, i. e., the uppermost part of their curved surfaces relative to the pressure region of the bracket seat, it will be seen clearly that the ends of the spring arms 45, 46 must be cammed outwardly either upon inserting or removing the receiver, and that in the full-line, secured position, the arms exert spring pressure in a direction substantially normal to the curved surface, to clamp the receiver in place.

The bracket structure shro'wn in Figs. 5 and 6 may be mounted in any desired fashion, for example as with a box support of the type shown in Fig. 1, or with an even simpler form of flanged support represented at 53 in the drawing. If desired, the arrangement may be similarly provided with a switch 54 to be actuated by the face of the receiver when it is inserted in the bracket, the switch having an operating member 55 normally projecting through the plate 40 and having a curved end (like the member 34 of Fig. 2) that is pushed inwardly, by the receiver cap, to change the relation of contacts in the switch. Whereas the device of Fig. 1 may permit slightly more rapid insertion or removal of a handset, the form of Fig. 5 is at present preferred for instruments of heavier type, and particularly for a relatively deep receiver housing having a more truly spherical curvature than the somewhat paraboloid shape used in certain handsets. The structure of Fig. 5, in which the ear 4| provides an additional guard against upward displacement of the receiver, is also preferable where there may be extraordinarily severe shocks tending to dislodge the handset, e. g., as in vehicles to be operated over rough ground, or as in aircraft, which may suifer such shocks in landing.

Figs. 3 and 6, respectively, show rear views of the handset, i. e., the receiver portion thereof, as retained in the the correspondin form of the improved bracket. In each case the arms are in engagement with the rear curved surface of the receiver or other instrument housing and the handle of the handset extends down between the arms.

- action; in either embodiment shrown, the handand the spring arms.

set is inserted merely by pulling down on its handle, and by this convenient, single movement, the holding parts are brought into a locking position. That is to say, the spring arms |3, M then hold the handset not merely by frictional engagement, but by actually clamping the receiver housing against the seat and from adirection such that it can not be displaced by any accidental slippage between the housing surface The inner surfaces of the ends of the latter, it will be noted, preferably face and exert maximum spring pressure toward a vertically and horizontally central region of the seatthus in Fig. 5 toward or below the intersection of the fiat and camming portions. Only by forcing the handset in a direction reverse to that of its insertion, so as to cam to arms outwardly against their stiff spring pressure, can the receiver be removed; it is, in effect, snapped into and out of retained position.

This relationship, as distinguished from a simplerest'or hook for the-handset, is particularly important in mobile installations where vibraaegiasee tion,. pitching, 1 rocking for other motion would tend. to. dislodge the instrument The structure canbemadeto fitany of a widelvariety of handsets, even=where the bulbous receiver housing is shallow or flattened as in one .prior type of instrument or has the morecomplex shapeof an older .type of. device commonly used in general telephone service; in fact, any given bracket can be readily accommodated to a considerable variationof shape, or of receiver size and of holding pressure'thereon, by bendingthe spring arms towardzor away from the seat. While the drawings show the instrument .held vertically, .as. if simply suspended, the bracket maybe mounted in a variety of: angles, even such thatthe handset would-be-retained inca horizontal direction, as under a shelf or 'beneath thedash board of ail-automobile.

The bifurcated-arrangement ofthe Spring grippingmeans, i. e., spacing of the arms l3, M or 45; dliypermits the handle-of the handset to=pass readily between them,- and-yet cooperatesin preventing-dislodgement of; the instrument as by accidental blows upon the handle. Thus in. the

devices. shown the handset'can swing onlyabout.

an axis centrally'perpendicular to. the receiver facep-butieven such swing is positively limited by thearms, which are quiteirigidin an edgewise direction. Moreover, the handset can not be 'dis-l'odgedby-striking or pushing its lower part towar-dth'e surface upon which the bracket is mounted; in fact it can only be removed by intentional use of the relatively I considerable force needed'to snap the high regions of the receiver housing past the spring arms.

Although the snap operation is a preferred feature oftheinVention, in some circumstances structures-of the sort shown can be designed-or adjusted for use-without it, forexample so that as'the handset is inserted each arm only rides to and upon'but not beyond a high part of the receiver housing; The latter is then pressed against the seat by=simple spring action of the arms,-the holding effect being satisfactory for many office or home installations, and being aid-. ed, if desired, by making the high spots of the housing in the form-of flattened regions-of appreciable area in the paths of the arms. In such cases there should of, course beamplespring pressure and friction, to insure a satisfactory The elements of the bracket are extremely simple, being readily manufactured of sheet material, and the device is relatively light but rugged, so that even considerable abuse will not bend the arms or otherwise damage theintended relationship ofthe parts. While in some cases the seat and arms may befashio-ned of a single piece of metal, particularly if it is carefully treated to provide resilience and rigidity in the proper places, easier manufacturing control of such characteristics is usually obtained with a two piece construction as shown. Likewise-while in certain cases the spring arm effect may be achieved by supplementary spring structure for.

v mo1.1ntingrelationshipto the face plateand in thepeculiar adaptability ofsthe manner of insere tion, and removal of the receiver, to operation of the switch. As stated, the device may be mounted at any desired angle, reference hereinabove. and in the appended claims to vertical arrangements. and to upper and lower parts or thelike, being simply intended for convenience in characterizing mutual relationships as if by referenceto such disposition (e. g., as in the drawings),.rather than as a requirement of use in an upright position. It will. also now be apparent that thebracket is of substantial utility for holding telephone-devices, herein considered handsets,.that may embody only one instrument, e. g., a receiver or transmitter, rather than two.

It. is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific structures herein shown ordescribed but may be embodied in other forms. without departure from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A bracket for removably holding a telephone handsetwhich has a bulbous instrument housing from which a handlev extends, comprising spring means adapted to grip the housing under spring pressure-including a seat and cooperating gripping means disposed-to engage said housing upon insertingthe latter between said seat and gripping means, said gripping means having a plurality of. gripping portions substantially spaced from each other and each spaced from the seat by a distance slightly less than the thickness of the inserted housing and said gripping means being thereby adapted to be moved outward relative to the seat, against the spring pressure, by the surface of the housing as the latter is inserted beneath the gripping portions, whereby the gripping portions engage said surface at a corresponding plurality of localities under said spring pressure, to hold the inserted housing against the seat.

2. A bracket for removably holding a telephone handset which has a handle and an instrment housing having an operating face and a bulbous rear surface joined by the handle, comprising a flat seat and cooperating spring arms extending from the lower end of said seat, said seat and arms being disposed to engage the instrument housing between them upon insertion of said housing by moving its operating face down along said seat, said arms being spaced for the handle to pass between and extend below them upon said insertion of the housing, and said arms being each spaced from the seat by a distance slightly less-than the thickness of theinserted housing and being thereby adapted to pass over a high region of said bulbous surface as the housing is inserted, and. to engage said surface under spring pressure at localities on the further side of said high region.

3. A bracket for removably hoiding a telephone handset which has a handle and a receiver housing having an operating face and a hemispherical rear surface joined by an end of the handle, comprising a seat having a flat portion and a bearing portion extending out from the upper end ofsaid flat portion, and cooperating spring arms extending from the lower end of said fiat portion, said seat and arms being disposed to engage the receiver housing between them upon insertion of .said housing by placing an edge of its operating face beneath the bearing portion of the seat and rocking the housing into abutmentof itssaid face against said flat seat portion, said, arms being spaced apart for the handleto pass between. and extend below them upon said insertion .of the housing, and being each spaced from the seat by a distance slightly less than the thickness of the inserted housing, and said arms by their disposition being adapted to pass over a high region of said hemispherical surface as the housing is rocked into engaged position, and to engage said surface under spring pressure at localities on the further side of said high region.

4. A bracket for removably holding a telephone handset which has a handle and an instrument housing having an operating face and a curved rear surface joined by the handle, comprising spring means adapted to grip the housing under spring pressure, including a seat and cooperating arms extending outwardly from, and into facing relation with said seat, said seat and arms being disposed to engage the instrument housing with its operating face against the seat upon insertion of said housing between the seat and arms,

said arms being spaced for the handle to pass between them upon insertion of the housing, and being each spaced from the seat by a distance slightly less than the thickness of the inserted housing, and said arms by their disposition being adapted to pass over a high region of said curved surface as the housing is inserted, and to engage said surface under spring pressure at localities on the further side of said high region, for clamping the handset in place.

5. A bracket for removably holding a telephone "handset which has a bulbous instrument housing from which a handle extends, comprising spring means adapted to grip the housing under spring pressure, including a seat having a flat portion and a projecting portion extending out from one end of said flat portion and cooperating arms extending outwardly from the seat and into facing relation therewith, said arms and said flat and projecting portions of the seat being mutually disposed to embrace the instrument housing upon insertion of same in abutment with inner faces of said portions and arms, and said arms being spaced from the seat, at their ends, by distances slightly less than the thickness of the embraced housing and being thereby adapted at said ends to engage the surface of the housing under said spring pressure, to hold the inserted housing against the seat.

STERLING G. SEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,020,527 Swaine Nov. 12, 1935 2,036,010 Atkins Mar. 31, 1936 2,106,299 Fourness Jan. 25, 1938 2,193,536 Murdock Mar. 12, 1940 2,339,413 King Jan. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 286,185 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1928 

